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‘You want to be involved?’
Those straight dark eyebrows lifted as if in surprise. ‘Of course. Why would you think anything else?’
‘Because you never showed any interest in children before.’
Bess was proud of her even tone, as if his announcement hadn’t shocked her to the core. She’d prepared herself for so many responses to her news but had never once expected this.
‘In other people’s children,’ he corrected. ‘But this is different, isn’t it, Bess?’ He paused as if lingering on the taste of the name he’d used only during the throes of ecstasy.
She shivered, not from cold but from the abrupt sense of elemental connection between them. As if they were no longer in an elegant London mansion but skin to skin, heart to heart, sharing one of life’s most precious mysteries.
Her heart thudded, her pulse beating more powerfully through every part of her body as if with his words and the electric blue flash she imagined she saw in his eyes, Jack had once more cast his spell over her. She reared back in her seat.
‘This is our baby and I want to take care of it, raise it, love it.’ He paused, his eyes narrowing. ‘Surely that’s understandable.’
Yet that simple statement flummoxed her. For the first time she heard Jack talk of loving someone. He’d never claimed to love her and in fact had made it clear that he didn’t. He never spoke lovingly of his family and changed the subject whenever she’d tried to learn more about them. To hear him talk now about loving their child simultaneously thrilled and disappointed her.
Thrilled because she wanted her child to be loved. Disappointed that Jack should feel that way so readily, so easily when eighteen months of her trying to be the perfect wife had made no difference to his feelings for her.
She got to her feet and paced to the large window looking over the garden, fine tremors of shock running through her.
So much for assuming Jack wouldn’t be interested in their child!
‘That’s good. That’s very good.’ If she said it often enough she’d convince herself. What sort of woman was she to be jealous of her unborn baby because of its claim on Jack’s affections?
Suddenly the drama and trauma of the past two days overwhelmed her. She felt appallingly on edge, blinking back hot tears and swallowing down a tangled knot of emotions.
‘What is it?’ Jack’s voice came from close behind her. ‘Why are you upset?’
Bess focused on the blur of green outside. ‘I don’t know.’ It was a relief to admit it. She hated the feeling that she needed to watch every word. ‘I just feel...’
‘It’s been a tough time for you.’
She sensed him move closer, could almost feel the heat of his body at her back, almost feel the curve of his fingers around her arms. If she leaned back a little she knew he’d hold her. For one long, poignant moment it was all she wanted.
But Bess couldn’t afford to be weak any longer. Jack had been her kryptonite for too long. She was going to be a mother and had to change her priorities, for her baby’s sake.
She swung around, her gaze skidding across his face to land at a point near his chin. ‘If you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk anymore. I know we need to.’ There were a thousand unanswered questions jostling in her brain. Dozens of different scenarios, but she wasn’t ready to deal with any of them, or more specifically, to deal with Jack. ‘I’m just...tired right now.’
Instead of doing the business mogul thing of pressing his advantage, Jack instantly inclined his head. ‘It’s been a stressful day. Not just with the paparazzi, but losing your job too.’
Her head jerked up and she met his eyes. Was it a trick of the light or was that sympathy she read? Jack had never been bombastic or bad-tempered with her, but after leaving him not once but twice, and now inadvertently causing the sort of scurrilous public speculation she knew he abhorred, she’d expected to bear the brunt of his anger.
Every time she tried to guess what was going on in his head he reminded her how little she understood him. Was he furious but hiding it well? Or had he really put that behind him and moved on?
‘You know about that?’
‘Given the circumstances it seemed likely you wouldn’t be able to work there for the moment. Besides, your friend Janusz was still apologising as you came down the stairs.’
His tone as he mentioned the other man made her skin prickle. He couldn’t believe there was something between them! No, Jack would never be jealous of her. His feelings didn’t run that deep. Maybe that’s why he’d been so sensible in accepting the baby was his. A jealous man surely wouldn’t be so trusting and reasonable.
Funny how flat that made her feel.
‘We’ll talk about the baby later. In the meantime there’s the question of where you can go to have some respite from the press.’ He paused. ‘Do you have any thoughts?’
Elisabeth blinked, taken by surprise.
She’d been racking her brain for a place to go. Her flat was impossible. At the same time she’d expected him to announce he’d already arranged for her to be bundled away somewhere that suited him. Perhaps in this posh town house or an expensive hotel. Somewhere where they could continue the discussion about their child at his convenience.
